Darker Side of Life
by DramaGeek2010
Summary: Mimi and Misty dance for a group of mystery men and the Cat Scratch Club. Rated just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Harry

The war was far from over. We had our spies in the Death Eaters found out so Severus and Draco were openly in the Order. Hermione had run away long ago, for fear of her life. He hadn't heard from her since a letter we received two months after she ran. She had told us not to look for her. She would never resurface. The witch we knew was dead and never coming back to life.

"Harry," Ron said, "we have to go to America to search for allies."

Ron, Sirius, Remus, Severus, Draco, Fred, George, and I have been looking for allies for the Order. We didn't know where to look so we were starting in America. This would take forever.

"We should start in the big cities," Remus said. "it's the best place to go unnoticed because no one spares you a second glance."

"Let's start in Washington D.C.," Draco said, "then move to New York City."

"No," severus noted, "D.C. has high security. We wouldn't go unnoticed for long. New York City could take us months by itself. We should start there."

We agreed and apperated to New York City.

* * *

Three months later

We had been searching New York City for the last three months and found two wizards, but they wanted to stay neutral. We needed something to help the stress level in our group. Sirius walked into our flat with a smile on his face.

"What's with the look, Black?" Severus asked.

"WE're going out tonight," Sirius replied. "we haven't had a desent bit of fun for a while. We're going to a bar. I got us reservations."

"Sounds like fun," the twins said together.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Some place called the Cat Scratch Club in Alphabet City," he informed me. "We should be heading out."

* * *

Mimi

I walked in the back door of the Cat Scratch Club and smiled at the guard.

"Hey, Mimi," he said as I passed, "Derek wants to see you."

I nodded to him and found Derek, the owner of the club.

"Hey," Derek said, "how is my favorite dancer?"

"Fine," I replied.

"We have some VIPs coming and they wanted my two best dancers. You and Misty are up, honey."

"We get paid extra?"

"She asked the same question."

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Misty has you outfit. I think you'll like it."

I walked into the dressing room I shared with Misty.

She had become a close friend since I'd moved to Alphabet City. She had long black hair and eyes that I swear were vortexes to hell itself.

I shut the door and saw my outfit hanging on the back. It was blood red and was a bikini at best. Misty was already dressed and working on her hair. She had on her fabric armband that ran from her wrist to her elbow. That was the only thing I didn't have as part of my outfit. That was her thing.

I walked up behind her and started twisting her hair into her favorite style. She pushed me into my chair after I had changed and did my hair to match. When she was done I looked at myself in the mirror.

My dark brown hair was half up in a sexy bun while the rest hung around my shoulders. My black eye sparkled with excitement.

"Do you have you're AZT?" Misty asked.

"Do you?" I replied reaching into my purse.

Misty had gotten my off heroin. How she did it I had no idea. She had been on it too, but had stopped on her own.

"Ready?" she asked knowing the answer.

We walked into the VIP room as the music started up. I didn't look at the men in the room, I never did. I just danced. I sank into the familiar routine and got lost in the music.

* * *

Misty

We had been in the room for twenty minutes. Each of the men were easilY distracted to say the least. I walked up behind the single blond in the group. I ran my hands down his chest and kissed at his neck. Pain suddenly ripped through my left arm, and I pulled away. The pain occurred again, and I doubled over.

"Son of a bitch!" I screamed.

I wasn't the only one in pain, either. Two of the men were cringing in pain as well. Mimi looked at me with a worried look on her face. I nodded that I was alright. I felt a hand on my shoulder before I was thrown against the wall. I looked at the man holding me in place. He was tall and muscular. His face held a glare that could have killed.

He grabbed my armband and pulled it off. He wouldn't think anything of the tattoo. I just had to keep it covered at work. The thing is he _did_ recognize the tattoo. That's when I looked at the rest of his group. There were three red-heads, two were identical, a blond, a man with greasy black mair and a long nose, a man with a raged, scared face and brown hair, and the last was a boy with messy black hair and glasses. They were all standing at this point.

"Shit," I said.

They each saw my arm and reached into their pockets. They were, I knew, reaching for their wands. I looked at Mimi, whose eyes were wide with fear.

"He's sending you to clubs, now?" the man holding me asked.

I said nothing.

"Should we take her in or take care of her now?" he asked one of the people behind him.

"Let's see what she knows," Four-eyes said.

He forced me to sit down in the chair he had vacated. Mimi stood at a distance. They stood around me, glaring at me. The beeper at my hip started beeping, and I reached for a drink. Scar face grabbed my arm and tied my hands behind me.

"Who are you?" Ginger asked.

"Why are you here?" Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb asked together.

I didn't answer. They stared at me asking questions I refused to answer for another half hour. By that time, I was beginning to shake. Mimi was the same way.

"She's not going to say anything," Blondy said. "It's the way she's trained, the way we all were."

That's when I recognized them. They had changed so much in the last seven years.

"Oh my god," I said. "Why didn't I see it before?"

"See what?"

"Who you are. No wonder you overreacted."

There was no reason to hide it anymore. I thought a spell and whatever was holding my wrists fell away. I jumped up and stood in front of Mimi. They had their wands drawn now. We had to run, but they were in front of the door.

"You know them?" Mimi asked.

"Look closely," I replied. "You do, too."

Recognition appeared on her face, and it changed to anger.

"How dare you!" she screamed. "I thought you were above this. And you still don't recognize me."

"Hermione?"

She collapsed to the floor.

"What did you do to her?" Remus yelled.

I ran over to the table and picked up a drink. I pulled our medication out of my top and took my dosage. I put her medication in the liquid and let it dissolve. I created a syringe and withdrew the spiked liquid.

I stepped toward Mimi, but my path way blocked by the Order of Idiots.

"What is that?" Sirius asked.

"Poison?" Severus guessed.

"It's not my fault you made us miss our AZT," I yelled. "If you don't get out of my way, you're only hurting her."

I shoved passed them and injected her with the mixture. I picked up a towel and soaked it in cold water. I put it on her face and picked up the phone calling the flat.

"Get over to the club," I told Mark when he answered. "Mimi collapsed."

I hung up the phone and turned to the Order members.

"Get out," I said.

"We are not leaving Hermione with a Death Eater," Harry replied.

"I left that life a long time ago, Harry. My life is here now. We have three years, at most."

"Three years until what?" Remus asked.

"Mimi and I have AIDS. We have three years to live. We have people here who are just like us: Roger, Collins, Angel, Mark, now."

Mimi stirred. I knelt down beside her.

"What happened?" she asked.

"You passed out, because you missed you AZT," I told her.

"You told them?"

"They weren't going to let me give you the medication."

"Thanks, Misty."

"Roger and the guys are on their way here. We'll go to the doctor tomorrow."

Roger, Mark, Collin, and Angel stormed in followed by Derek. He saw Mimi on the floor and left quietly.

"You okay honey?" Angel asked.

She wasn't in the girl getup and was getting odd looks from the Order members.

"Yeah, thanks Angel," Mimi replied.

Roger picked her up and carried her to our dressing room. The rest of us walked out leaving a group of stunned Order members.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Remus

We stood staring at the door for a long time. Ron broke the silence with the question on all of our minds.

"Hermione has AIDS?"

We went back to our flat in silence. We hadn't expected to find Hermione. Now we find her and she has AIDS.

The next night I went back to the Cat Scratch Club alone.

She was dancing again, for the general public this time. I saw Misty dancing not far from her.

I was staring at her when the music started up and she began to sing.

What's the time?  
Well it's gotta be close to midnight  
My body's talking to me  
It says, "Time for danger"  
It says "I wanna commit a crime  
Wanna be the cause of a fight  
Wanna put on a tight skirt and flirt  
With a stranger"  
I've had a knack from way back  
At breaking the rules once I learn the games  
Get up - life's too quick  
I know someplace sick  
Where this chick'll dance in the flames  
We don't need any money  
I always get in for free  
You can get in too  
If you get in with me

Let's go out tonight  
I have to go out tonight  
You wanna play?  
Let's run away  
We won't be back before it's Christmas day  
Take me out tonight

When I get a wink from the doorman  
Do you know how lucky you'll be?  
That you're on line with the feline of Avenue B

Let's go out tonight  
I have to go out tonight  
You wanna prowl  
Be my night owl?  
Well take my hand we're gonna howl  
Out tonight

In the evening I've got to roam  
Can't sleep in the city of neon and chrome  
Feels too damn much like home  
When the Spanish babies cry  
So let's find a bar  
So dark we forget who we are  
And all the scars from the  
Nevers and maybes die

Let's go out tonight  
Have to go out tonight  
You're sweet  
Wanna hit the street?  
Wanna wail at the moon like a cat in heat?  
Just take me out tonight

Please take me out tonight  
Don't forsake me -- out tonight  
I'll let you make me -- out tonight  
Tonight -- tonight – tonight

She danced right in front of me. She wasn't the sweet little girl anymore. The music stopped, and she kissed me. No, definitely not the little schoolgirl anymore. She took my drink and downed it. She was not Hermione, the reserved, know-it-all, British schoolgirl. She was Mimi, the free-spirited, American dancer.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Remus

Going to the Cat Scratch Club had become a part of my night. It had been a month. Tonight she wasn't there. Misty danced over and handed me a paper. It read:

Will I lose my dignity  
Will someone care  
Will I wake tomorrow  
From this nightmare?

I'm in the hospital.

Mimi

I stormed into the flat.

"What's with the racket, Moony?" Sirius asked rubbing his head.

"Hermione's in the hospital," I said.

Someone knocked on the door. I opened it. Misty stood in front of me. She handed me a notebook and walked away.

I opened the notebook and saw lines of poems or songs written in it. The first to catch my eye was:

Without you, the ground thaws, the rain falls, the grass grows.  
Without you, the seeds root, the flowers bloom, the children play.  
The stars gleam, the poets dream, the eagles fly, without you.  
The earth turns, the sun burns, but I die, without you.  
Without you, the stars roar the breeze warms, the girl smiles, the cloud moves.  
Without you, the tides change, the boys run, the oceans crash.  
The crowds roar, the days soar, the babies cry, without you.  
The moon glows, the river flows, but I die, without you.  
The world revives, colors renew, but I know blue, only blue, lonely blue, within me blue.  
Without you. Without you the hand gropes, the ear hears, the pulse beats.  
Without you, the eyes gaze, the legs walk, the lungs breathe.  
The mind churns!  
The heart yearns!  
The tears dry, without you. Life goes on, but I'm gone.  
Cause I die, without you.  
Without you.  
Without you

A few pages later another caught my attention.

Don't breathe too deep  
Don't think all day  
Dive into work  
Drive the other way  
That drip of hurt  
That pint of shame  
Goes away  
Just play the game  
You're living in America  
At the end of the millennium  
You're living in America  
Leave your conscience at the tone  
And when you're living in America  
At the end of the millennium  
You're what you own  
The filmmaker cannot see  
And the songwriter cannot hear  
Just tighten those shoulders  
Just clench your jaw till you frown  
Just don't let go  
Or you may drown  
You're living in America  
At the end of the millennium  
You're living in America  
Where it's like the Twilight Zone  
And when you're living in America  
At the end of the millennium  
You're what you own  
So I own not a notion  
I escape and ape content  
I don't own emotion -- I rent  
What was it about that night  
Connection -- in an isolating age  
For once the shadows gave way to light  
For once I didn't disengage  
Dying in America  
At the end of the millennium  
We're dying in America  
To come into our own  
And when you're dying in America  
At the end of the millennium  
You're not alone  
I'm not alone  
I'm not alone

The notebook was completely filled. I looked at the cover and saw Viva La Vie Boheme, Actual reality -- Act Up -- Fight AIDS, and No Day But Today written across it.

She had it right.

No Day But Today.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Mimi

I smiled at my friends around me. The only one that wasn't there was Angel. She had died two weeks ago. Misty was doing my nails. Maureen and Joanne brushed my hair. The boys sat in the chairs. Benny even was here. A single tear slid down my cheek.

"You want them here, don't you?" Misty asked.

I smiled at her as she kissed my forehead and disappeared. Some time later, she returned with them. Harry, Ron, Sirius, and Remus were the first to enter. The Twins, Draco, and Severus entered after them. I introduced the two groups to each other.

I smiled as my vision began to cloud over. I heard the beeping slow into a constant tone, before light filled my eyes.

I saw someone. I couldn't pick out any distinct characteristics until I was next to her. Angel.

* * *

Misty

Mimi's heart rate dropped. Roger picked her up and pulled her against him. Mark pulled me into him as I began to cry. She was gone.

"She pulled me out of that life," I whispered.

I looked at Draco. He nodded in understanding.

The nurse pulled the heart monitor off of her and left us. Suddenly, Mimi gasped for air. We all looked at her.

She kissed Roger, and he pulled her into him.

"I was in a tunnel," she told us, "headed for this warm white light and I swear, Angel was there and she looked good. She said, 'Turn around, girlfriend. You have people who care about you back there.'"

I touched her head.

"Her fever's breaking."

She looked at the Order members and smiled.

"Let's go home, Roger."


End file.
